


Querencia

by RuinousScribe



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 11:30:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15411954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuinousScribe/pseuds/RuinousScribe
Summary: a place from which one's strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self





	Querencia

**Author's Note:**

> This is cross-posted on Wattpad under the oneshot book Aeipathy

 

  
**Querencia**  
[ **ke-REN-thi-ya** ]  _noun_

**Origin: Spanish**

_a place from which one's strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self_

**Pairing: Kim Jongin | Do Kyungsoo**

**ㅡ**

"Kyungsoo? What's wrong?" Chanyeol's voice broke through the silence of the classroom as he made his way in.

Kyungsoo merely glanced in the general direction from which Chanyeol was coming from before continuing to gaze out the window. Besides, he knew the guy was really directing the question to his best friend who was currently latched onto his left arm. Baekhyun sighed in frustration at Chanyeol, who was quick to put his hands up in surrender. The smaller of the two had been trying to figure out the answer to that very question for the past 10 minutes and had now changed his strategy.

Chanyeol mutely took his seat behind the duo before tapping Baekhyun's shoulder from behind. Baekhyun turned his head towards Chanyeol before resting it on Kyungsoo's shoulder. "He hasn't spoken since he came in."

"Why?" Was Chanyeol's intelligent response which earned him a dead look from Baekhyun.

"If I knew the answer to that, we wouldn't be in this predicament, now would we?" Baekhyun snapped at the oblivious boy.

"I mean, it's not like—" Baekhyun shushed the boy with a sharp hiss that had Chanyeol blinking at him curiously.

"Shh, you're distracting me." With that he turned his head the other way before once more falling silent. Chanyeol heard Kyungsoo sigh deeply and watched as his shoulders heaved up and down, bringing Baekhyun's head along in it's descent.

"Distracting you from doing what exactly?" Chanyeol spoke carefully after a few minutes of deliberation. He was aware that neither of his friends were having the best day right now, but his curiosity had to be quenched and he didn't appreciate being left out (even if it was the reality that he had to face most of his waking days).

As expected, he was met with silence. After two minutes of waiting for an answer, Chanyeol decided that the pair would eventually tell him when they got fed up of whatever game they were playing and decided to pass the time by aimlessly scribbling imaginary circles on the table using his finger. Just as Chanyeol completed drawing an imaginary wolf on his desk, the door burst open and in walked Minseok, Luhan, and Jongdae. The latter two had seemed to be chatting the eldest's ears off, but their boisterous voices trailed off when the atmosphere of the room enveloped them.

Minseok was quick to test the waters with a questioning greeting to the initial occupants, "Uh, hi?"

Kyungsoo lifted a hand in greeting and Baekhyun mirrored his actions. When the curious eyes fell on Chanyeol, he simply shook his head at them before flailing his arms and gesturing weirdly at the two in front of him. This seemed to confuse the trio more than the silence and Jongdae finally burst.

"What the  _fuck_ , dude?"

Instead of answering, Chanyeol continued to wave his arms around but was generous enough to use even bigger gestures. He ended by pointedly looking at Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. Chanyeol's ears flushed red when his eyes caught Baekhyun's. The latter had turned around at the sound of fabric rustling aggressively and now had his head tilted towards Chanyeol again, a bemused look on his face.

Sighing, Chanyeol turned to Jongdae before waving at the air in front of his face as if trying to erase his embarrassing moment (an addition to a constantly growing collection) from their memories. A fatigued 'never mind' left his mouth before another voice boomed from outside the room.

"What are we looking at?" Sehun slung an arm around Luhan's neck before peeking into the room.

"Kyungsoo, an uncharacteristically quiet Baekhyun, and Chanyeol being weird  _again_ ," Luhan replied curtly before shoving Sehun's arm off his shoulder. "Why are you even here?"

"Uh, guys, why are you blocking the doorway?" Yixing's voice could be heard asking apprehensively.

Soon enough, Chanyeol could see his dark hair move behind Sehun as he pushed his way through the small crowd that had gathered around the doorway. After carelessly waving around the room as a greeting he put on the earphones that were previously around his neck before taking a seat and staring into space. Apparently, the people around the doorway were still wary of entering the lion's den and opted instead to peer into the classroom from the comfort of the hallways.

"What's up?" Wonshik's deep voice interrupted Chanyeol's nap.

The curly haired boy had given up on trying to invite the classmates in and settled for a nap seeing as he had woken up early all for the sake of nothing. Baekhyun had always come to school early and seeing as the taller had always had admired the other, he had to step up his game in trying to win him over which, in this case, was trying to spend as much as time with him as possible. However, today didn't seem like such a cheerful morning for Baekhyun and he had claimed to be too busy to pay any attention to Chanyeol, so napping was the best option.

Groggily rubbing his eyes, Chanyeol lazily looked around the room. It was in the same situation, more or less, with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, now being joined by Yixing, wordlessly staring into space and everyone else around them chatting someone's ear off. Chanyeol turned to face his seatmate who was in the process of untangling his headphones from what seemed to be his boyfriend's own pair of earphones as the latter stood by his desk patiently.

"Kyungsoo and Baekhyun haven't been talking to anyone since this morning, and we don't really know what's up," Chanyeol spoke before covering his mouth to yawn.

Wonshik was able to finally retrieve his boyfriend's earphones and turned to give it to the boy who then wordlessly left without as much as a wave back. Chanyeol raised a brow but Wonshik was quick to explain that Taekwoon wasn't much for words. Before he could ask more about the happenings in the classroom, however, their homeroom teacher burst in with an unceremonious crashing of the door against the wall. The ruckus seemed to have caught everyone's attention and the students were in their seats even before their adviser had reached his desk.

* * *

 

Baekhyun wasn't too fond of being kept in the dark. In fact, he hated it. He loved to be in on the current scoop, not necessarily because he was a gossip (which he was), he was just too curious at times. This happened to be one of those times.

When he burst into the classroom with a bounce to his step, the menacing aura that surrounded his best friend caught him off guard and he dramatically clutched at his chest and gasped. Kyungsoo merely turned his head to watch as Baekhyun cautiously moved towards him. Baekhyun's eyes furrowed at the darkness under Kyungsoo's eyes. Frowning, Baekhyun dumped his bag on the ground before slipping into the seat Kyungsoo had pulled out for him.

"What's wrong, Soo? You look like you haven't slept in a decade." Baekhyun commented, leaning on his palm to look at Kyungsoo's face. The younger turned to him with a dead expression on his face, but Kyungsoo was close enough to him (physically and emotionally) that he could see the hints of anxiety that troubled the younger.

"It's nothing," Was Kyungsoo's mechanical response, before he turned his head towards the window. "Don't worry about it."

The last comment seemed to irk Baekhyun even more and he huffed. He had just had to say that to rile Baekhyun up, didn't he?  _Something is troubling my best friend and there is nothing that's going to stop me from figuring out what_. With that in mind, he shifted closer to Kyungsoo.

"No. Tell. Me." With each pause, Baekhyun poked at Kyungsoo's soft cheek. Swatting away his hand, Kyungsoo simply sighed and shook his head.

"Soo~" Baekhyun whined desperately, but Kyungsoo didn't budge. Pouting in frustration, he resorted to just waiting for Kyungsoo to burst.

When Chanyeol stepped into the room, Baekhyun's heart lifted for a moment, until the big doofus opened his mouth, that is. The fact that the younger had arrived way earlier than he usually did barely clicked in Baekhyun's mind as he gave up on the hope that Chanyeol could help his current situation. Instead, Baekhyun latched onto Kyungsoo's arm and rested his head on the other's shoulder before lapsing into silence.

The remainder of the first period was fairly uneventful as Mr. Choi didn't seem up to anything that particular morning and everyone else seemed okay with that decision. Normally, Baekhyun would've been having a nice chat with Chanyeol behind him, or maybe even Kyungsoo in the rare cases that the latter wasn't on his phone or was in his seat. Today, however, he decided to continue his mission of getting Kyungsoo to spill the beans and had stayed rooted in his seat beside the younger, much to Chanyeol's dismay.

Even for Kyungsoo, this was uncharacteristically  _too_  silent and it made Baekhyun's skin prickle in anxiety. He dropped his head on his arms that he folded on the table before sighing in dismay. He was worried about his best friend, but this waiting game was incredibly tiring. Baekhyun started when Kyungsoo placed a warm hand on his head and gently ran his fingers through Baekhyun's soft hair. Blushing, Baekhyun lifted his eyes to meet Kyungsoo's in question. Kyungsoo smiled at him softly, but the older could sense the unease in the action and he offered an equally nervous smile in return.

"Maybe later, Baek." He mumbled softly, the words barely tumbling into Baekhyun's ears. Kyungsoo's hand didn't cease, however, as he turned to look out into the misty morning again.

Baekhyun hummed and closed his eyes as Kyungsoo continued his ministrations, basking in the attention Kyungsoo was finally giving him. The younger wasn't one to be overly affectionate, but everyone knew that he'd loved them all just the same ー well, maybe some (maybe  _one_ ) more than others. With that thought, Baekhyun's eyes flew open as he stared at Kyungsoo's profile.   _Is that the problem?_ He thought. There was no way to find out yet, but he gladly allowed himself to be lulled to sleep with the thought of finally having a grasp on the situation. It was yet to become a solution, but hey, it was something.

However, Kyungsoo didn't tell Baekhyun after first period. Kyungsoo didn't speak to him during their second period. Kyungsoo quietly left Baekhyun in a sea of students as they parted for third period. Kyungsoo's lips were shut when they passed each other on their way to their fourth class. Baekhyun's patience was the thinnest thread by the time he had stepped out of his last period for the morning alongside Yixing.

He spotted Kyungsoo and Chanyeol just as the two entered the cafeteria and tugged at Yixing's sleeve, signalling the older boy to walk faster. To his dismay, Yixing just turned to him with a hazy smile and patted his cheek lightly before continuing to walk in a leisurely fashion. Not wanting to leave the taller male behind lest he bumped into walls or walked into random rooms, Baekhyun impatiently held onto Yixing's wrist as they  _slowly_  made their way into the cafeteria.

After pushing Yixing to sit next to Junmyeon, Baekhyun fought his way to the seat that Jongdae was headed for (not that it was much of a fight with the latter at a great disadvantage due to the lunch tray in his hands). Aggressively scooting his chair closer to Kyungsoo's, Baekhyun moved uncomfortably close to the other until they were face to face. Kyungsoo's squeak may have been delayed, but he nonetheless pushed at Baekhyun's shoulder to make the older get the hint that he was now aware of his environment and that drastic measures should no longer be pursued. Baekhyun leaned back slightly before narrowing his eyes at Kyungsoo.

"You still haven't told me  _anything_ , Soo." Baekhyun practically spat as the rest of the table lapsed into conversations of their own.

"What's there to say?" Kyungsoo sighed before bringing out his lunch. When he peered into his bag however, he froze for a moment before mechanically pulling out two sandwiches and two cartons of milk. Baekhyun looked down at Kyungsoo's lunch in confusion.There was definitely  _something_ wrong with it, but what?

"Where's your classmate?" Baekhyun barely registered Luhan's voice from his left before Sehun's elbow carelessly dug into his side as the youngest wrestled his way into Luhan's seat. The latter huffed when Sehun landed on one leg before pushing the younger off. As if on an imaginary cue, Minseok stood up from his seat and moved to the empty one directly across, pushing his former chair towards Luhan. Baekhyun rolled his eyes as Sehun brightly took a proper seat on the chair he stole from Luhan.

 _Why do we insist to sit in a table that only fits eight_ ー _hold up._

"Everybody freeze," Curious heads turned at Baekhyun's demand but the seven occupants of the table heeded to his demand, nevertheless. Carefully counting the heads present, Baekhyun found that they were missing one person. He turned his head to Kyungsoo and squinted.  _The ninth person who almost always (in the common occasion when the lunch room becomes quite territorial for hungry high school students) shares a seat with Kyungsoo._

"Soo, where's Jongin?" Baekhyun asked carefully, his eyes trained on Kyungsoo. The younger shifted uncomfortably in his seat and fidgeted with his carton of chocolate milk ー no, that was  _Jongin's_.

Avoiding Baekhyun's piercing gaze, Kyungsoo shrugged before reaching for his sandwich. Before he could even unwrap said sandwich, he was bombarded with questions as the whole group seemed to now be all ears.

"What do you mean?"

"Dude, you guys are like always toge ー Sehun don't inhale your food."

"Did you fight?"

"Chanyeol!"

"How could you not know?"

"He didn't say anything?"

"Soo?"

"Kkmajong," Sehun spoke up after chugging down some water. "Didn't come to school today, hyung."

"What? Why?" Chanyeol asked for the group and all heads turned to Sehun again. The blond met Kyungsoo's wide eyes and smiled uneasily.

"Uh, nothing s - serious," Sehun stammered, seemingly weighed down by Kyungsoo's stare. "He told me to tell you guys not to worry about it."

"He told you that?" Kyungsoo tried to pass off as nonchalant but Baekhyun heard the tremor in his voice. Sehun nodded hesitantly, slowly shrinking behind Baekhyun's form and out of Kyungsoo's field of vision.

"Hmm," was all Kyungsoo said before he quietly began eating his lunch. The table then picked up it's murmured conversations after a wary look at Kyungsoo.

"Is that why you're upset?" Baekhyun asked softly. Kyungsoo's eyes were trained on the carton of unopened milk on the table before nodding his head. He sighed and pushed the milk towards Baekhyun.

"It doesn't matter, hyung." Kyungsoo said before concentrating on his lunch. Baekhyun frowned at his usage of the title as he rarely called Baekhyun that and it seemed less sincere than when he used pet names.

"You sure?" The older pushed hesitantly. At Kyungsoo's absent-minded nod, he sighed and patted the younger's shoulder. "Alright. I'll just go get some food, Soo."

Kyungsoo watched the older walk towards the front of the lunch room, closely followed by Chanyeol who, unsurprisingly, had waited for Baekhyun before he bought his own lunch. When his eyes fell on the milk carton that he had given Baekhyun, his stomach dropped. He forced his eyes away for the sake of his appetite and listened in to the murmur of conversations around him as a distraction.

On any other day, he'd be having his own conversations. However, this wasn't one of those days as his partner in crime was missing in action.  Jongin wasn't there to ask about his day. Jongin wasn't there to crack jokes and laugh at Kyungsoo's lame puns. Jongin wasn't there to share his lunch.  _Jongin wasn't there_.

As Baekhyun came back and chatted animatedly to Chanyeol who was sitting across the table, Kyungsoo mindlessly fiddled with his phone. His eyes were fixed on the green bubble that taunted him from it's seat at the bottom of his home screen.  _Should I call him?_

Before he got the chance to ask for Baekhyun's opinion, the other was already pushing Kyungsoo to pack up as lunch break was about to end and their class was on the other side of the building. Quickly pocketing his phone and gathering his things, Kyungsoo shuffled out of his seat and walked with Baekhyun. The latter threw him knowing glances but did not dare open his mouth to ask.  _If Kyungsoo says it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter._ He thought this but he knew it wasn't the truth. He also knew that Kyungsoo knew that, but there must be a reason for his words and Baekhyun was going to fully respect that. Instead, he threw an arm around Kyungsoo's shoulders and tugged the younger male closer to him.

"You excited for chorale later, Soo?" He grinned in an effort to lighten the mood. "I hear the Chairman has some new ideas for the anniversary of the club."

With a few more minutes of light-hearted conversation, Baekhyun was able to successfully relax the strain in Kyungsoo's form and the latter occasionally broke into a smile or two.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"Well, that was fun," Baekhyun commented dryly as they exited their club room and headed for their lockers. "I thought he already  _had_  some ideas."

"Maybe he wanted group participation," Kyungsoo defended, laughing at Baekhyun's unconvinced look. "Cut him some slack, Baek."

"Whatever, I just hope we can actually do all those ridiculous things some people suggested," Baekhyun massaged the bridge of his nose in annoyance at the recollection of one of the newer members (was it Seokmin or Seungkwan?) constantly bringing up something about Beyoncé.

"Anyway, you up for some samgyupsal?" Baekhyun asked Kyungsoo as he stuffed his books into his locker and pulled out a pastel pink bomber jacket. Kyungsoo raised a brow as he pulled out a few notebooks from his own locker and shoved it into his backpack.

"No, I think I'll pass on this one."

"Really? Don't worry, I'm pretty sure Junmyeon will take care of the bill." Kyungsoo laughed at this. When has he not?

"Actually, I think I'll go check up on Jongin," he mumbled as they made their ways out the doors. He blamed the redness of his cheeks on the cold air but Baekhyun knew better. With a mischievous smile, he nodded.

"Of course you will."

"I - I'm just worried about him ー I'd go visit you if  _you_  were sick." Kyungsoo sputtered.

"Well, let's just thank the deities that I'm not sickly, eh?" Baekhyun grinned at him before shooing Kyungsoo. "Go on then, child. I'm going to wait for the others here."

"You're not that much older than me," Kyungsoo pouted before letting Baekhyun pull him into a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, Baek."

"Take care, Soo. Don't keep Prince Charming waiting!"

Kyungsoo flipped the bird over his shoulder, leaving a laughing Baekhyun.

* * *

 

Walking home wasn't that fun.

Jongin would usually be walking next to him, and they'd be swinging their interlocked hands as they told each other about random parts of their day. He'd watch as Jongin smiled and laughed like a child as he relayed the unpredictable antics of Sehun or the embarrassing confessions he'd witness Taemin receiving. He'd listen to Jongin speak passionately about something new he'd learnt about absolutely anything at all and watch the other's eyes light up in excitement. Often times, Jongin would drape an arm around Kyungsoo's shoulders and keep him close as they walked for 'safety precautions' (as said by the boy who trips over air). He'd gladly talk about his day and Jongin would smile and chuckle as he whined about how Chanyeol's too obvious about his not-so-little crush on Baekhyun who was either playing hard-to-get or was simply oblivious.

But Jongin wasn't here.

Sniffing miserably, Kyungsoo shoved his gloveless hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket. He'd left his gloves at Jongin's house ー a pretty good reason (it definitely wasn't an excuse) to go and visit the latter. Not that it would be a hard task either way since they only lived a couple of blocks apart.

In an effort to seem less lonely, he had shoved his earphones into his ears and tuned in to the nearest radio station as he walked to Jongin's house. When he saw the very tops of the house's roof, he walked faster despite the cold air pricking his skin. Kyungsoo rapped on the door lightly and puffed warm breaths of air into his freezing hands. One of Jongin's older sisters opened the door and smiled at Kyungsoo warmly.

"Hey, little one." Why did everyone think he was so little? It's not his fault everyone else is taller. "Here to see Mr Grumpy Pants?"

"Noona," Kyungsoo whined lightly. Jongin's sister laughed before opening the door wider for the boy to duck under her arm and race inside. Quickly taking off his jacket and shoes, Kyungsoo followed Jongin's sister to the kitchen where she had been cooking with her mother.

"Hey mom, guess who's here again?"

"Oh, Kyungsoo dear!" Jongin's mother gladly dropped the vegetables she was going through on the kitchen table to pull Kyunsoo into a hug. "Are you staying for dinner? Oh, you must. I'll call your mother," She rambled on before he could say a proper greeting. "Jongin's in his room, I'll call you down for dinner later, sweetie."

"Alright, auntie," Kyungsoo smiled politely before making his way upstairs. Tiptoeing through the hallway, he slowly made his way to Jongin's door. As quietly as he could, he pushed the door open, cringing at the creak it made.

The lump of sheets on the bed shifted the slightest bit. "Go away, noona."

"It's me," Kyungsoo saw the figure noticeably freeze before burrowing itself further in the comforter. Kyungsoo closed the door gently before chucking his bag on Jongin's chair and taking a seat at the bottom of his bed. He tugged at the dark sheets lightly. "Come out, Nini."

"No."

"I didn't come all this way for you to ignore me." Kyungsoo huffed. Frowning, he realized something. "Sehun said you were sick?" Jongin didn't sound sick to him and his mother and sister didn't seem all too worried about sending Kyungsoo up to an allegedly sick boy's room.

Jongin scoffed from under the sheets. "Yeah, sick of  _him."_

"What?" Now Kyungsoo was beyond confused. "So you  _aren't_  sick-sick?"

"No," Jongin grumbled.

"Then why are you hiding?" Kyungsoo pouted at Jongin's covered form. "You didn't even tell me you weren't coming to school. I waited for so long in the cold for you before mom threatened me into leaving. I should be the one not talking to you. Should I just leave?"

"Soo," Jongin groaned desperately. "Stay."

"I'm not staying if you won't talk to me properly."

"But, I ー" Jongin sighed heavily before muttering what his sounded like a muffled, "I'm going to kill Oh Sehun."

"What's wrong?" Jongin wasn't making any sense at this point.

"Remember when I told you that I was going to hang out with him yesterday to make up for that one time I stole his boba?" Jongin started hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Kyungsoo remembered the event vaguely seeing as it had happened more than a few months back when the group of friends had attended a festival of some kind. However, he did remember it being somewhat of an accident seeing as Luhan didn't exactly tell Jongin that the bubble tea he had been handed was for holding onto and not for drinking. Regardless, Sehun was thirsty after he had run off to play games with Chanyeol and had been too sensitive about his boba to care about it being an accident. 

"Well, the deal was that he got to pick my punishment or whatever. And he did."

"I assume that's got some thing to do with your absence?" Kyunsoo pressed not trying to sound impatient. He may have been worrying for nothing, but Jongin sure knew how to keep the suspense in the situation.

"Promise me you won't laugh, Soo." Jongin finally moved to sit up but had kept the covers over his head. Kyungsoo could hear the vulnerability in his voice and suddenly felt guilty for getting mad at the younger. Jongin was truly just a sensitive puppy on the inside despite his tough (ahem caution hot) exterior and Kyungsoo knew better than anyone how sensitive he could get over the smallest things. This seemed to be a big deal to him.

"I promise, Nini." Kyungsoo replied softly, giving Jongin the last bit of encouragement to finally pull the sheets down.

Kyungsoo's breath lodged in his throat as he took in the sight of Jongin. The younger had his eyes on his fidgeting fingers, anxiety eating him up the same way Kyungsoo's eyes took in his appearance. Jongin's dark locks were now a soft bubblegum pink. His hair was messy seeing as he had been in bed but the strands looked as soft as ever and Kyungsoo thought that his best friend had never looked more beautiful. He wasn't sure whether he should envy the boy for his looks or simply swoon over the fact that said boy was his best friend (ergo somehow 'his').

"You aren't saying anything. Oh god, is it that bad?" Jongin's widened eyes and panicked voice broke Kyungsoo from his trance and he was quick to catch the younger's hands which were reaching up to tug at the newly dyed strands.

"N - no, that's not why ー it looks ー i - it's not bad." Kyungsoo stammered lamely as their tangled hands landed on Jongin's lap.

"Really?" After receiving an affirmative hum from his best friend, Jongin broke out into a brilliant grin and sighed in relief. "I was so nervous about it and I didn't know if you'd like it or not that I convinced my sister to call me in sick today. That bastard Oh Sehun talked me into it and then insisted I looked preposterous."

"What's new?" Kyungsoo laughed at Jongin's frown, unconsciously shifting closer to the other, his eyes flicking up ever so often.

"He said you wouldn't like it, but you do, and that's all that matters." Jongin beamed at the older and Kyungsoo felt his heart skip a beat. "I'm glad you like it, Soo."

"You do realize no matter what color you choose, I'll still like it?" Kyungsoo teased as he joined Jongin who was propped up against the headboard. Jongin smiled at the comment before pulling Kyungsoo into his arms.

"Yeah, thanks." The smaller bit his lip as he smiled giddily at Jongin's actions and relaxed into the younger.

"How was your day?" Jongin murmured after a while of comfortable silence.

There was only ever one time that they'd been stuck in uncomfortable silence and that was way back when they had first met. Kyungsoo was new to the neighborhood and his older brother may or may not have had a short-lived crush on one of Jongin's sisters. Seungsoo had talked his parents into visiting the neighboring house with Kyungsoo seeing as his little brother could have the chance of making his first friend since their move. He had dragged Kyungsoo over kicking and screaming and that just seemed to score him points when the girl he'd been crushing on answered the door with a child of eight latched onto her leg. Needless to say, Seungsoo had to drag Kyungsoo  _out_  kicking and screaming for Jongin.

"Boring," Kyungsoo huffed, playing with Jongin's hands that were resting on his stomach.

"Care to expand on that?" Jongin chuckled into Kyungsoo's ear and the latter fought the shivers down from having Jongin's warm breath brush against the shell of his ear.

"You weren't there, so it was boring." Kyungsoo deadpanned, causing the taller boy to chortle and squeeze him tighter the slightest bit.

"It couldn't have been that bad, Soo. I'm sure Baekhyun hyung kept you company?" Jongin teased.

"He did," the shorter nodded. "But it would've been better if you were there."

"Come on," Jongin rocked them softly as Kyungsoo pouted. "I'm sorry."

When Kyungsoo let go of the other's hands to cross his arms stubbornly over his chest, he felt Jongin heave a sigh. The younger's hair tickled Kyungsoo's neck as Jongin rested his head on the other's shoulder. Kyungsoo's heart thumped wildly in his chest as he felt Jongin press a soft kiss at the base of his neck and murmur into it softly, "I'm sorry, Soo."

This was the kind of shit Baekhyun would call them out on and insist that they either bring their domestic fluff elsewhere or spare his appetite by at least  _trying_ to gravitate away from each other. Apparently, the latter task seemed to be close to impossible as the two were, more or less, attached at the hip. Instead, their friends had grown accustomed to their closeness and often decide to just ignore the two altogether when they decide to act like lovesick puppies despite their refusal to be labeled as anything but the best of friends. Frankly, the fact that Kyungsoo refused physical contact other than Jongin's (and occasionally, Baekhyun's) was almost endearing if not slightly offensive. Nevertheless, the two were completely comfortable around each other and saw no harm in expressing it.

To make his acceptance known, Kyungsoo gently rested his head atop Jongin's and intertwined their hands on his stomach. He felt Jongin's lips curve into a triumphant smile before he felt the ghost of another kiss on his skin. "Are you still mad?"

"No," Kyungsoo lifted his head and Jongin turned to meet his eyes. Kyungsoo smiled at him softly before shifting to rest comfortably on the younger's chest. He sighed softly as Jongin moved to properly hold him. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Jongin mumbled into Kyungsoo's hair.

"Ah! I almost forgot!" Jongin watched curiously as Kyungsoo scrambled off his bed. The latter rummaged through his bag before bringing out two notebooks and placing them on Jongin's desk. "Notes on the things you missed," he explained before heading back to lay down. "Give them back to me tomorrow."

"You didn't have to," Jongin blushed despite feeling grateful.

"Of course, I do." Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. "Why are you acting like it's the first time you're borrowing my notes?"

"Thank you," Jongin smiled at him angelically and Kyungsoo reached up to gently ruffle the younger's hair.  _Anything for you._ And as if hearing his thoughts, Jongin's smile broadened.

"Will you stay the night?" Jongin blurted out after a few minutes of silence. Kyungsoo hummed in thought.

"It's a school night, Nini." Kyungsoo replied, not too thrilled about his own comment.

"How about  _I_ ask your mom? You know she can't resist me." Kyungsoo laughed but didn't deny it.  _How could anyone?_

"Alright, but don't whine to me about it when she says no." Kyungsoo reached for his phone before handing it to Jongin.

" _If_  she says no," Jongin smiled as he took the phone from Kyungsoo. "Which she won't."

Sure enough, Jongin was successful in granting Kyungsoo permission and Jongin's parents were more than happy to have Kyungsoo stay the night. After dinner, Jongin cleaned up as Kyungsoo rummaged through his drawers to find some clothes for bed. They have had countless sleepovers before but Kyungsoo's pyjamas never really made it into Jongin's closet as the older insisted that he was perfectly fine with Jongin's old clothes. Kyungsoo finally found the shirt he was looking for (a large black one with a small penguin at the centre) and pulled it out. When Jongin stepped out with only a pair of sweatpants on, he tried his best to avoid eye contact and headed straight into the bathroom. No matter how many times he sees his best friend naked (which was quite a lot) he'll never be able to fight down the blush and the butterflies. When he exited the bathroom after showering, he found Jongin (who had fortunately thrown a shirt on) diligently copying the notes he had missed.

Kyungsoo quietly left the room and headed downstairs. He easily maneuvered through the kitchen as he made a cup of hot chocolate, even adding small marshmallows (after popping a few into his mouth). He said his goodnights to Jongin's parents who were cuddled on the couch and took the steaming mug upstairs. Kyungsoo carefully placed the mug in front of Jongin and the younger smiled at him gratefully.

"Thanks, Soo." Kyungsoo smiled back, triumphant at having made Jongin happy. He padded over to Jongin's bed and listened to music through his earphones as he waited for Jongin to finish.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Kyungsoo had, inevitably, dozed off during his wait and Jongin smiled fondly at the boy who was comfortably twisted in his sheets. He liked that Kyungsoo was there with him. He liked that Kyungsoo was always there for him.  _Fuck_ , he liked  _Kyungsoo_.

"What am I going to do without you?" He mumbled as he placed Kyungsoo's phone on his dresser. The smaller boy shifted in his sleep as Jongin settled into bed after turning the lights off and Jongin smiled lovingly as Kyungsoo moved towards him. He gladly wrapped the boy in his arms and pressed a gentle kiss on his head. He felt Kyungsoo sigh in content and he couldn't help but bring the boy impossibly closer. He was sure that the other could feel his heartbeat threatening to leap from his chest but he saw no reason to hide it as he felt Kyungsoo's equally wild pulse thrum against him.

"I love you, Soo." Jongin murmured into Kyungsoo's dark hair as he welcomed slumber.

"I love you, too, Nini." The breeze ate up Kyungsoo's drowsy whisper as he slipped out of reality.

 


End file.
